Beopseoryeon Accuses Kim Myung-soo: "Illegal Lobbying in National Assembly via Im Seong-geun During Candidacy"

Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Regarding some media reports that Chief Justice Kim Myung-soo, while still a nominee, asked Busan High Court Chief Judge Im Seong-geun to "contact opposition party lawmakers he was acquainted with and have them vote in favor during the confirmation vote," a civic group has filed a complaint with the prosecution accusing Chief Justice Kim of abuse of authority and other charges.

The Action Alliance for Establishing the Rule of Law (Beopse-ryeon) held a press conference on the 9th in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, announcing that they are filing charges against Chief Justice Kim for abuse of power, obstruction of the exercise of rights, and violation of the Anti-Graft Act.

Beopse-ryeon stated, "Chief Justice Kim, during his candidacy, instructed sitting judges including Chief Judge Im to 'contact opposition party lawmakers and ask them to cast favorable votes in the confirmation vote,' which constitutes an abuse of authority and an illegal and improper directive." They added, "The illegal lobbying directive was carried out through third parties such as Chief Judge Im, violating laws by making improper requests to members of the National Assembly."

They continued, "A person aspiring to become Chief Justice directing sitting judges like Chief Judge Im to conduct illegal lobbying in the National Assembly violates the separation of powers and seriously undermines the independence of the judiciary." They further said, "Just the attempt to lobby the National Assembly shows that Chief Justice Kim was only interested in personal advancement and had no regard for constitutional principles such as the separation of powers and the rule of law."

Additionally, Beopse-ryeon added, "Since Chief Justice Kim has infinitely degraded the honor and authority of the judiciary and seriously damaged its independence, he must take full responsibility and resign immediately."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.